A clutch of new memoirs and novels draws on female authors’ lived experience of marital discord
Jason Barr’s enthusiastic celebration of the skyscraper argues that high-rises are engines of progress
Irish author returns to the characters of his debut novel, revealing changes in them and their society
Paddy Crewe conjures loss, alienation and 1980s deprivation in a striking departure from his 1830s-set debut ‘My Name is Yip’
From ancient Nineveh to Victorian London to the present day — the author’s restless novel flows across epochs and continents
Two authoritative histories shed modern light on two centuries of medieval crusades
As the author’s centenary approaches, his courageous, powerful and sometimes prescient work is finding new audiences around the world
An engrossing and timely book, with some fantastically weird anecdotes, about how the wellness movement took root in the 1970s
The towering ambition of city skyscrapers; women writers’ stories of marital breakdown; a teacher’s eye-view of China; what the medieval crusades were really about; behind the booming wellness sector; an epic time-spanning novel by Elif Shafak; new fiction from Donal Ryan and Paddy Crewe; James Lovegrove’s pick of sci-fi titles — plus our obituary of Edna O’Brien
Peter Hessler used his time in Sichuan as a teacher to build a more subtle understanding of a changing country
Former Avenger swaps Hell’s Kitchen for quaint England while Conan cuts a swath through zombieland
Having launched her literary career in scandal and outrage, she was revered by readers — and, in time, her homeland — as a charismatic change-maker
The influential but often overlooked writer celebrated nature from his Californian coastal outpost — and warned of the climate crisis decades before others
The golden rule is to read as few contemporary books as possible
Two beehives, a communal veg patch and taking turns mowing the lawn — blurred party lines make for a surprisingly inspiring place to work
Creator of the Sweet Valley High young adult fiction phenomenon put books in the hands of a generation of girls
Alexandra Posadzki on the drama of a Canadian telecoms empire fractured by infighting — and a pocket-dial
Two books examine how today’s autocrats differ from those of the past, and what liberal democracies can do to counter their influence
An entertaining account of the role that invisible gases have played in the modern world, from neon illuminations to carbon dioxide’s role in global warming
Ann Powers’ portrait of the singer-songwriter is both personal and poetic, and brings a wealth of fresh insight
The place where the first dictionary was compiled is a word nerd’s nirvana
Camille Bordas’s ensemble piece, set at a stand-up comedy school, has much to say about how we live now
There is passion — and humour — throughout this novel about a same-sex marriage in its final throes but it is a dark tale of domestic anguish
Amitava Kumar’s new novel traces the country’s recent history through a life less ordinary
Novels; dollars; breadth; Biden; cocaine sharks
The author draws upon ‘sense memories’ of the land of her ancestors, where her latest novel is also set
Mathijs Deen’s affectionate study of Europe’s second-longest river has the measure of a geographic and cultural force
Themes of karma, fame, sexual experimentation and familial trauma are explored
Anne Lamott has written 20 books, including the enormously popular ‘Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life’. Today, she’s on the show
With the French capital poised for the Olympics, two new books seek to expose the social challenges that have long existed at the margins of the city
The late author’s debut novel from 1959 has all the pleasure and tantalising mystery of her greatest short stories
The ‘City on Fire’ author returns with a full-blown tale of a troubled teen and her equally troubled father
A deftly told tale of dysfunction across continents and generations
The demand to ban a satirical novel underlines the shrinking space for free expression under Putin
From the bustle to the corset and the thong, under garments reveal a lot about society and ourselves
Chinese-British novelist Xiaolu Guo chooses East Sussex to explore themes of migration and memory
Hillbilly elegy; polygraphs; The American right’s love for Russia
